Have you ever had one of those days where your body just couldn’t keep up with your mind? Today was one of those for me. You could say my body was running a steady 8 minute mile, while my mind was zooming at about a million miles an hour. Here’s why.

This morning ultra ultra marathon runner and all round inspirational human* Ray Zahad called me up to tell me he was excited about my project. He wasn’t talking about the teeny tiny Edge to Edge marathon I am training for (still a formidable task for this little runner), but the idea I had for a relay race the length of the Proposed Enbridge Pipelines. Here’s an interactive map of the proposed pipeline route: http://pipeupagainstenbridge.ca/index.php/learn/map

Not only was he supportive, telling me it was doable (yes!), but he also wanted to meet and discuss the details- when he gets back from running across South America. I’m not kidding, he’s really going to run across the continent of South America (about 1700 km, no bigee) in the AndesRun (http://andesrun.com).

He already has many suuuuuuuper long runs to his name, including the 111 day non-stop run across the Sahara that was documented in the film Running the Sahara (produced by Matt Damon) (“I’m Matt Damon”). The best part is that he uses his running to raise awareness about important issues, like water and health or sanitation, that impact the areas he visits on his runs, AND he involves youth in learning about those issues as they run with him. Amazing. (For more on Ray, check out: http://rayzahab.com/adventures/upcoming)

Quite frankly I was blown away to hear from him. I had heard him speak at a sustainability-oriented event here in Whistler in November. He was funny and captivating, but it wasn’t until recently that I realized that his story had planted a seed in my subconscious imagination. It made me think about running in a new light; how running can be a vehicle for effecting change. Running as transformative action- it works on so many levels- the personal, the communal, the planetary.

So I wrote him an email explaining as much and thanking him for providing the seed for my brain child (Don’t worry, I didn’t quite phrase it like that!). It was one of those ‘message in a bottle’ emails, the kind that you toss out on the sea of possibilities without any real expectation that it will come back to you. Well it came back, in a big way.

Now my brain child won’t give me a moment of rest and though my exhilaration is quickly turning to exhaustion, I am still madly plotting its future (not unlike a real infant and hopeful parent).

The thing that is so wonderful is that it isn’t just Ray that is supportive. It’s virtually everyone to whom I’ve mentioned this idea. Husband, Running Buddy, Family, Friends and Colleagues, most are non-runners that instantly say “sign me up” or “how can I help?” then proceed to offer the most brilliant suggestions for making it a success. It’s just incredible.

Building a pipeline that will carry the world’s dirtiest oil, in the absence of a national energy strategy, in violation of First Nations’ rights and wishes, that threatens our climate, our water, our air, our communities, our economy, livelihoods, natural areas, biodiversity, endangered species and our reputation as a democratic nation that acts in the best interests of its own citizens not oil companies or the foreign oil markets they depend on is many wrongs rolled into one mega offense to Canada (and really Offense to the World). No wonder this is an issue that people care deeply about.

And it’s about even more. Despite the Joint Review Panel Community Hearings that are taking place across BC and Alberta, there is a general sentiment they are mere tokens. There is a sense of desperation that regardless of the public outcry, this proposal is as good as approved. Why?

Let’s look at the Review Panel. The official party line on the Review Panel states:

The Joint Review Panel for the Enbridge Northern Gateway Project is an independent body, mandated by the Minister of the Environment and the National Energy Board. The Panel will assess the environmental effects of the proposed project and review the application under both the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act and the National Energy Board Act.(http://gatewaypanel.review-examen.gc.ca/clf-nsi/nwsrls/2012/nwsrls01-eng.)

This sounds nice and impartial except that in actuality the panel consists of 3 individuals, none of whom reside in or represent BC. See a profile of each in this article in the Vancouver Observer.

And just 3?! I had more people evaluating me at my last job interview.

The strong stance of the Federal government in support of the tar sands and all of its attendant infrastructure projects is most troubling of all. The fact that anyone opposing that stance has been labeled a “radical” or “environmentalist” (oh the horrors, the horrors) shows how little Harper and his cronies care for true public dialogue and the democratic process.

If we as Canadians have no mechanism to change a system that panders to industry- industry that is hell bent on destroying our natural and social capital-what are we left with? The gripping realization that we have become a Petro State, “where the price of oil and the pace of freedom always moves in opposite directions” (Thomas Friedman, The First Law of Petropolitics. 2006).

Running is a pure expression of freedom. Let’s run to make our commitment to freedom be heard.

Who’s with me?

(* though perhaps something of a freak of nature for his endurance capabilities)

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1 comment

Hi Kim. Claire told me about your plan at Green Drinks tonight. Super supportive – but also know that the proposed route includes sections through super dense forest where ‘running’ would turn into hours of bush wacking. I saw some footage of a guy who hiked along the proposed route – sorry I don’t remember his name, nor where I saw the footage – but I imagine you could google it, or Dogwood may know about it. Heck, your plan even inspires me to run – and I hate running! Which means, I likely won’t be joining you, but perhaps cheering you on from the forested sidelines 🙂 Go for it! Have you heard about Naomi Devine’s “Ride to Rio” for the Earth Summit. Whistler girls do some pretty cool stuff.